Back in Town
by amanduhh1221
Summary: Time heals all wounds, or does it? After finally starting to get over losing Bella, Edward slowly reenters society. With a terrible record and a perpetual cigarette in his mouth he lives on. But what happens when he bumps into a familiar stranger?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Edward sighed as he slipped through the electronic doors of the local package store. His head hurt and his body was aching for some nicotine. He approached the counter with an involuntary scowl and asked for a pack of Reds and a lighter.

"Would you like anything else?" The cashier said in an uninterested tone.

Edward grunted negative and handed her a wrinkled twenty from his titanium money clip. She rang him up quickly, her hand shaking as she handed him his change. Her eyes went wide as she glanced at the door. Edward followed her gaze and hid his eye-roll at the burly man that walked through the entrance.

The fucker was huge, bald and covered in tattoos. Edward couldn't tell if he was constipated or just angry, but either way Edward didn't want to find out. He didn't need another tick against him. Third try is not the charm.

So he grabbed his change from the girl and shoved it into his wool coat pocket without organizing it. For a split second he considered taking it out to do so, but thought better of it. His random OCD tendencies were getting to be a bit much. It was just money.

He sidestepped around the man and hurried out of the store. The cellophane wrapped around the box was a quick peel and pull off the box. He flipped it upside-down and hit the top against the rough skin of his palm a few times for good measure before slipping out a Bog and sticking it between his chapped lips.

Edward inhaled slowly, savoring the moment. It was probably the highlight of his day, the first drag he took from a cigarette was practically a religious fucking experience.

His combat boots clamped heavily against the concrete beneath them. The tips were worn enough to see a sliver of the steel toe on each, the laces frayed at the ends and the innersole was replaced twice. But they had sentimental value to Edward.

They were a symbol of his independence, his strength and reminded him of _her._

He physically cringed at the memory trying to seep through his mental walls, accidentally offending the woman walking past him on the sidewalk. There were moments when Edward thought he could handle it, the memories, but some nights the terrors started. His imagination was founded on the memories, making the nightmares seem so real.

But they weren't.

Edward told himself that five times every morning. The memories were real, the nightmares are not, the repetition helped him retain what was left of his sanity.

"Excuse me." A woman whispered as she brushed past him.

Edward back tracked and lost his footing, accidentally reaching for the woman to help right him. His teeth held his cigarette in place as he slowly fell onto the sidewalk. His hip absorbed most of the fall, causing pain to radiate through his bones.

The woman whimpered next to him, clutching her hand tightly to her chest.

"Fuck, are you alright?" He asked around his cigarette as he tried to stand up.

The woman nodded not meeting his gaze. "Nothing I haven't been through before."

The soft tones of the woman's voice tugged slightly on his heart, resonating deep inside him. She seemed familiar, something about her posture, her voice and her size but he couldn't place it.

"At least let me walk you to the clinic? I don't want you to walk by yourself without a hand." He offered with a hopeful smile.

The woman audibly swallowed but nodded. She accepted the hand he extended towards her, allowing him to pull her standing.

"I'm sorry you fell." Edward said as he exhaled. The smoke mixed with the steam his words created, twining together as they rose towards the street lights. "I'm usually much more observant."

The woman, still not meeting his eyes, smiled slightly. "It's a daily occurrence for me. Please, don't worry."

Edward nodded and slowed his stride as the woman started to walk, staying a step or two behind her. His long legs posed a problem, propelling him much faster than her. They walked on in silence, Edward stealing glances at the woman who was obviously trying her hardest to avoid his eyes.

He could feel the reason for her familiarity on the tip of his tongue, but still couldn't place her.

"I'm Edward." He said awkwardly, passing his fingers through his hair.

She didn't answer, instead stopped in front of a renovated factory building.

"I thought we were going to the clinic?" Edward asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

The woman shook her head, causing her dark hair to further hide her face. "That won't be necessary. But thank you for the offer."

Edward didn't want the woman to go home with an injury that he caused. "Can I do something for you? I don't want to give you the impression I normally plow into women."

Edward cringed at his wording, his cheeks involuntarily blushing.

"It was an accident," she said as she unlocked the main door. "You didn't give me a bad impression. I'll be alright. My husband will take care of my arm."

Edward felt like he was hit by a truck at the revelation. For some odd reason, the word "husband" falling from her lips was like an uppercut to the jaw. It fucking hurt.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean to overstep." He said, slowly backing away.

The woman shook her head again. "It's quite alright." She said in a quiet voice. "Goodnight Edward." She said quickly before slipping inside.

His entire body went rigid when she said his name. It was _her._

It was his Bella.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Bella swallowed back the lump in her throat as she hurried up the stairs to her apartment. Her wrist was throbbing and her heart was racing as she approached the familiar red door labeled "2D".

Her body was practically vibrating at recent memory of being within inches of Edward. The old feelings, the memories, the smiles and the heartbreak all came rushing back to her. The warmth of their apartment calmed her slightly, allowing her to breath for the first time since she saw Edward.

She hated not meeting his gaze, denying herself the pleasure of staring into the deep emerald orbs. His eyes always displayed all of his emotions, told you how he was feeling in an instant. Just being in the general vicinity of him tore open the wound that had just finally started to heal.

Bella had moved to New York to get the fuck out of Washington. Everywhere she went after she graduated college burned her soul. Every inch of the sidewalks, the stores, the movies every damn restaurant reminded her of Edward.

She left so she could breathe.

But she wasn't complete.

Bella sighed as she dropped her keys and purse onto the table near the door, before stalking over to the freezer. Her wrist was throbbing something awful and all they had were bags of frozen peas.

Bella settled herself on the couch with the bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel and let her thoughts run free.

Memories roughly assaulted her mind's eye, recalling the day she left Edward with perfect clarity.

_Bella paced back and forth along the worn wooden floor of her dorm room. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating unevenly. She couldn't deal with all the different stresses weighing heavily on her shoulders. She needed relief no matter how it came._

"_Hey baby." _

_Bella swallowed back the lump that had risen in her throat and forced a smile on her face. "Hey." she replied halfheartedly. _

_Sharp emerald eyes pierced through her, practically scanning over her soul. Unsatisfied with what they saw, his eyes turned concerned his arms reaching towards her. "What's wrong?"_

"_I think we need to talk."_

_Bella wasn't sure how to tell him that they were slowly growing apart. That a simple break wouldn't fix their relationship. They were at more than just an impasse, they were over._

"_I don't like how that sounds." he said roughly, watching her ungracefully sit down on the ratty couch they had spent many hours on over the past three years of college. "What's going on?"_

_Bella grabbed his hands, removing them from her cheeks. "I've been thinking for a while now, and I just feel like we're growing apart."_

_Edward wrenched his hands from her grasp, shooting up off the couch as he did so. "What do you mean you've been thinking for a while? We're growing apart? How long have you felt this way Bella?"_

_She wiped away a few stray tears. "A while." She wrapped her arms around her torso. "You're different Edward. You're not always around. You always have a damn cigarette in your mouth when four years ago you detested the smell. I feel like I don't know you anymore. This isn't fair for me."_

"_So it's my fault?" He asked, roughly punching his chest. "I changed for the worst, I'm the one fucking all this up? I'm not the only one who changed, Bella. I've been adapting to the new you. _You're_ not the same girl I fell in love with."_

_Bella's head instinctively jerked back from the emotional backhand. She didn't realize she had changed all that much. Her circle of friends had grown and branched out, but she felt the same. Only stronger._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Yeah, me too." Edward spat. "If you don't want to try and fix this fine, but I don't give up easily Bella." He walked towards the door, his body one mass of tensed muscle. "Let me know if you ever come to your fucking senses."_

"_I didn't want it to be this way." She said from her perch on the couch._

"_Then get your foot off my fucking heart." He hissed before slamming the door shut behind him._

Bella jumped as the apartment door slammed shut. "Isabella?" James hollered from the doorway.

Bella hid her cringe and tossed the bag of frozen peas under the couch cushion. "Hi baby." She murmured.

"Where the fuck were you? I was standing outside for ten minutes trying to find my fucking key, knocking on the door. The old bitch across the hall thought I was breaking in." James scoffed as he stalked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

"Always with your head in the fucking clouds." he growled around the neck of his beer bottle.

"How was work?" She asked, keeping her hands behind her back as she joined him at the small table.

"Fucking great. One of the bastards swallowed a razor for a free trip to the hospital. Stupid fucker didn't think I would cut him open right then and there but I did." He ran his palm over his buzz cut, scratching the line of his jaw.

"They never learn." Bella commented with a small laugh, trying to dance the subject away from topics that would entice his temper.

"No they don't." James set his beer down on the table and opened his arms. "Say hello to me Isabella. I missed my wife."

Bella cringed but complied, slowly rising out of the chair. As she let her arms fall to her sides she whimpered in pain, her wrist continuing its relentless throbbing.

"What the fuck happened to your hand?" He grabbed her arm, shaking her wrist as he did so. "You went out didn't you? I fucking told you to stay in the house."

Bella braced herself for the blow, tensing her neck as the back of his hand hit her cheek. She let her head hang down, silently begging for an easy night. She wasn't sure if she could handle another like last night.

It still hurt to breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**  
>God was a funny mother fucker.<p>

He never made anything easy or fair.

After spending an hour outside Bella's apartment, staring up at the frosted glass door Edward gave up, realizing she wasn't going to come outside.

It was a chance meeting in the first place. Too fucking convenient if you ask him. But as Edward finally resolved to the fact that it was a onetime thing, he stuck another cigarette in his mouth and light it as he walked away.

And talking of fucking change meetings the big tattooed fucker from the package store crossed him on the sidewalk, his face all kinds of angry.

Edward kept to himself, walking close to the buildings to avoid the streetlights' reflections. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. It was like after seeing Bella for a fucking second his life had meaning again. But leaving her, with her _husband_-Edward sneered at the thought-felt wrong. She seemed different more so than when she ended it.

He cringed at the memory.

That day, when he walked out of her dorm, he fucking lost a part of himself. With Bella, he started to regain it.

Fuck he sounded like such a pussy.

Edward dropped the butt onto the sidewalk and angrily stomped it out as he continued his trek home. He didn't want to go back to his empty studio apartment, eat nothing and stare at the television until he felt like it was time to call it a day.

Parole was a bitch, was it not.

"Fuck." Edward whispered to himself as he rubbed his face with his palms.

He needed something to do, maybe pick up a new hobby. Anything to get his recent encounter with the love of his life out of his mind.

Maybe he should just fucking take up knitting and redecorate his fucking house in bright colors because his dick seemed to shrivel up into a vagina-like counterpart.

He rolled his eyes at himself as he pushed his apartment doorknob up and to the left, listening to the lock disengage. He lost his key years ago and didn't bother getting a replacement. It was pointless to lock the fucker in the first place considering his most prized possession was on him at all times.

He grabbed a bottle of Bud from his mini-fridge and collapsed onto the second-hand recliner he picked up from Salvation Army a few years back. A little duct-tape to cover up exposed springs and a squirt or two of air freshener and the thing was like new.

Emphasis on "like".

He toed the television on and leaned back, taking pull after pull from his beer. It wasn't until bottle number three that he finally dozed off into a restless sleep.

~oOo~

The stupid fucker scientists call "the sun" woke Edward up from his slumber, transitioning his mood from shit to nuclear hell. All he wanted to do was drink, smoke and cry. But he wouldn't admit the third part out loud. Ever.

He groaned and scratched his face, shrugging at the stubble that just happen to grow in overnight. His day seemed anything but interesting and his motivation went from lacking to nonexistent. Chickenshit or not, he missed Bella.

Grabbing his cellphone off the tray table to his left, he dialed up his parole officer and made with the "hey-how-are-ya" before hanging up. Second on his list of people to call was the chop shop he called work. He spouted off the first excuse he came up with and tossed his phone across the room, not wanting to deal with the plastic bastard for the rest of the day.

As Edward popped his neck and cracked his back, the stench of a long day hit his nose, making his face wrinkle in disgust. He instantly yanked his t-shirt from his body and tossed it onto the ever growing pile of clothes. He made a mental note to gather that shit up and hit the Laundromat after his shower.

Rinse and repeat was the name of the game as he shed himself of the remainder of his clothes and stepped under the cold spray of his shower. He didn't bother waiting for the fucker to warm up, knowing the water-heater had been broken even before he moved here. Three years ago.

His skin resented him for the shock though, creating goosebumps and invisible razors all over him. He clenched his teeth through the pain and dealt with the cold water shower. At least it took care of half his problems.

The other half of his list wasn't something he was prepared to mentally delve into at the moment.

So, he jumped into the cleanest pair of pants he could find, sniffing around until he found a shirt that wouldn't offend half the people at the Laundromat and shoved the pile dirty clothes into a drawstring bag.

The mesh fabric of the bag dug into his neck as he walked down the emergency staircase and out his apartment. He shifted it from shoulder to shoulder as he walked along the sidewalk, counting his paces along the concrete. It was just a few blocks from his humble abode but a long enough walk to spark the tiniest of perspiration.

Edward pushed the glass door open with his hip, scowling at the ringing of the bell above him. The sound went right up his back, making his teeth clamp together with a crack.

As he loaded his clothes into the washing machine, he patted his pockets for quarters, praying he grabbed enough change from his jar in the kitchen to do the few loads necessary. The stupid little brass bell above the door rang, but he couldn't be bothered to look at the door to see who made the fucking bell ring again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**It amazes me how many people have found "Back in Town" and displayed and interest for it! ****  
><strong>**Thanks everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Kind of long over due, but this will have inklings of abuse. I've never experienced anything of the sort so it's all from my imagination, (no mocking or negativity meant towards those who have suffered it). And since I forgot it in the first chapter, the storyline is mine, but all them characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. I'm using them because a little voice in the back of my head called my imagination tells me to.**

Bella cringed at her reflection in the cracked mirror, wishing there was enough make-up in the world to cover up the mess that was her face.

Last night was worse than others, something had really set James off. His eyes were hard as steel and she couldn't find an inkling of the man she fell in love with. She was left with a monster she didn't recognize.

The real kicker was that she had no one to blame but herself. There were small signs from the beginning, but she never thought twice about them. Constantly checking her phone, needing to know who she was with at all times, pushing every man out of her life.

But Bella was drawn in by the mystery he presented. She wanted to know the stories behind each of his tattoos, figure out exactly what made James tick.

He got off on pain, more so inflicting it on others, namely Bella. His tattoos were markers of his past, some of which Bella still wasn't sure about.

She was sick of not feeling safe but had no idea how to get out. Running was too easy, too obvious. She needed a plan.

"I need my laundry done for tomorrow Isabella. I'm disappointed you went against me and left yesterday, but you can leave today and get it done."

Bella jumped at his voice but instantly composed herself exiting the bathroom with her eyes downcast. "Of course James. I'll be home before you get back."

He licked his lips, quietly appeasing the jeans and shirt she donned before storming out of the apartment. Bella hid her disgust until he left the apartment. The closing door was the only relief she had felt in the past 24 hours.

She slowly reentered the bathroom, untucking her hair from behind her ears. As long as she kept her head down, the loose tendrils would cover most of the side of her face.

Bella knew from experience that makeup didn't hide black eyes. Not even an entire bottle of foundation did the trick.

~oOo~

Thankfully James had very little dirty laundry. All that was in the basket were cargo pants, muscle shirts and boxers. The walk down the block to the Laundromat was short but the freedom the fresh air provided was intoxicating.

For a second, just a second she pictured herself able to go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She pictured herself happy. To her subconscious, happy was Edward.

Bella shook off those thoughts as she balanced the tiny basket on her hip. She pushed the door open with her foot, quickly slipping through before it got a chance to close. Her body protested the movements, her muscles were tired and sore and her wrist was multicolored and twice the size of her other hand.

She wished she had taken Edward up on his offer to escort her to the walk-in. The bell above the door announced her entrance, unfortunately. Bella kept her head down, not wanting to be acknowledged by anyone. She just wanted to deposit her quarters into the machine and sit in the corner of the room until they were clean.

In and out.

Too bad, the only available washer was next to a familiar crouched body. The mess of bronze hair that appeared made her heart skip a beat.

God's hand was definitely pushing these two together, she felt it in her bones. The chances of their encounters were too slim, yet they were happening more and more.

Bella kept to herself, hoping he didn't notice her. It was obvious the hatred he still harbored towards her. She could feel it radiating off him as he loaded his clothes. The entire way he presented himself in the beaten up jeans, baggy shirts and combat boots screamed "angry". Bella also knew the reason he was like that was because of her.

As she slammed the washing-machine door shut, she turned her back to him, her eyes scanning the room for an empty, isolated seat. As her nonexistent luck would have it, the only chairs that were available were on the wall parallel to the machines.

Bella ungraciously plopped down onto one of the hard plastic chairs, getting herself comfortable for the next forty three minutes.

"Bella?"

Hearing her voice fall from his lips made her heart race in her chest. She turned her head towards him and instantly regretted it. Their eyes finally met, for the first time in almost seven years and she felt all the old emotions rushing back.

Her cheeks flushed at the memories and she quickly reserved herself. "Hi Edward."

He didn't react immediately and for a moment she thought the worst. Instead of telling her to go to hell, he just flashed her a sad smile and continued filling the machine. It wasn't until he finished loading it did he sit next to her and start to talk.

It was awkward, forced small talk between the two. They skirted around the past six plus years and talked about work and other mundane things. Edward apologized again for pushing her to the ground. She just nodded and looked at her wrist.

"Jesus it looks terrible!" He said harshly throwing his hands into the air.

Bella cringed as he lifted his arms, instinctively covering her face with her palms. After a few seconds and nothing happened, she looked up at him.

His head was cocked to the side, his entire face silently asking _what-the-fuck?_ "Bella?"

She took a deep breath as she straightened her posture and slowly moved her hands, ready to throw them back up at a moment's notice.

"Did you think I was going to hit you?"

Without hesitation she nodded, his eyes switching from the inviting green the once were back to the hard emerald she was more familiar with.

"Does he?"

Bella looked away, biting down on her lip as tendril of hair fell away from her face. The gasp that fell from Edward's lips made her heart skip a beat.

She watched him pace back and forth, mumbling expletive after expletive as he tugged on the short ends of his hair. Then almost as quickly as his anger appeared it was gone, replaced with something less familiar.

"That _thing_," he snarled the word "is what you replaced me with? What you ended us for? That son of a bitch? Jesus fuck Bella, I knew I had changed, I realized that. But for you to lower your standards that much. I just wish I had done more. You shouldn't be like this. Fuck!"

Bella watched him crumble before her eyes, his entire body shaking. She didn't know what to do, how to approach him. In true Edward fashion he took the blame for her pain, for her mistakes. This broken man was still the boy she remembered from elementary school, helping her whenever she face-planted into the wood-chips.

"It's not your fault Edward. I brought this upon myself." She held up her hand as he started to protest. "I made the wrong choice and I have to live with it."

He took three long strides closer to her, their bodies inches apart. He grabbed her upper arms, capturing her eyes. "You can leave Bella. You're still your own person. You can leave that bastard and help yourself. You shouldn't be willing to live like that!"

The few people scattered around the Laundromat gave Edward dirty looks for his outburst. Bella just smiled politely and patted his arm. "I can't run away Edward. I've learned there are consequences. I've experienced them." She cringed at the memory, absently rubbing the scar over her neck. "I'm sorry I brought any of this on you. It's not your fault. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get home."

She grabbed the basket of folded clothes and hurried out of the building. Bella resisted the urge to cry until she was safely behind the door of apartment "2D". She hastily put James' clothes away, making sure they were in their proper places before falling onto the ground and sobbing.

She mourned the life she threw away and the possible happiness she denied herself.

**If you want me to update more, drop me a review although I can't really make any promises. I'll try to update AT LEAST twice/three times a week. Maybe more if it strikes my fancy. I didn't plan any of this out so as of right now there ain't no plot or real bulk to the story. Just a little building.**

**And there was a lot of foreshadowing (something I'm just realizing now) that I'll have to remember to go back on...**

**I can't thank you guys enough for all the favorites and subscribing emails I've been getting. You are all really amazing.**

**FYI I've started the next chapter, hopefully that will be up soon. They will be alternating POVs every other chapter unless I say otherwise.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Reviews are better than sobbing. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Isn't it awesome when I start writing a chapter immediately after I finish another one? Haha.**

**Enjoy!**

Edward watched Bella run away, feeling his heart break with each step she took.

He should have stopped her.

He shouldn't have said anything.

He wanted to talk to her more.

He wanted her back.

"Fucking idiot." He mumbled under his breath, slapping himself on the forehead for good measure.

He treasured every word that left her lips as they shared in an awkward form of "catch-up". They shied away from their breakup, asking halfheartedly about each other's jobs.

Bella doesn't work. She cleans the apartment they moved into last year, writing on the off chance _he_ is at work. Luckily Bella was smart enough to leave her "husband" out of the conversation. It was nice talking again. Hell he'd give his left nut to spend the rest of the day talking to her.

But he fucked up big time.

Edward didn't mean to let his temper get the best of him. But what could he do when he saw the bruises? That _fucker_ bruised her. Hurt her. God just the mere thought of any man raising his hand to a woman made Edward see red. But to know that his Bella was a victim made his blood run cold.

He needed to put a stop to it.

_But it's not your place to interfere. _She _left _you_. Not the other way around_, his subconscious reminded him.

The washing-machine dinged, alerting Edward that his clothes were finally done. He needed to get the fuck out of the building and have a smoke. Now.

He shoved his dry clothes into the mesh bag, slinging it over his shoulder once again as he exited the Laundromat. With a lit cigarette between his lips, Edward was finally able to breath for the first time since he saw Bella this morning.

Her words were still on a constant replay in his mind, especially her "experiencing the consequences". Did that mean she ran away before unsuccessfully? Or did it mean she had an idea of what he was capable of?

Either fucking idea made Edward want to throw up.

He kept his mind as empty as possible as he started his path home. He didn't want to think about Bella at all, yet his heart said otherwise.

"Spare change sir?"

Edward stopped in his tracks, turning to the hobo to his left. The poor bastard was in stained cargo pants and a jacket that was probably originally a pristine grey. He smiled at the guy before fishing out a twenty and stuffing it into the used coffee cup extended towards him. "Lunch on me."

"Thank you." The man said with a smile, showing a set of chipped, rotten and cringe-worthy teeth.  
>Edward nodded as he continued on, sucking down his third cigarette. His body was on autopilot as he walked. As he approached the door to his building a tiny little shit of a kitten appeared out of nowhere, rubbing against his combat-boots.<p>

With a sigh he looked down at it. The thing's fur was matted and dark, covered in only God-knows-what. For some reason, the mismatching eyes that looked up at him made Edward smile. So with his laundry in one hand and the dirty cat in the other, he jogged into his apartment and kicked the door shut.

"Do you have a home?" He asked the animal, shaking his head at himself for expecting an answer.  
>Edward set the kitten next to the sink, tossing his clothes onto his bed. He inspected it, making sure it wasn't bleeding or had anything broken. The animal sucked up the attention, purring as Edward poked and prodded its fur.<p>

Unfortunately the thing smelt like shit, obviously missing the kitty memo of cleaning yourself. Surprised by its response to Edward's hands, he took the chance of turning the tap on the lightest he could. The cat hissed at first, but quickly adjusted, meowing quietly up at Edward.

He smiled at the little animal, feeling a little remorse at the constant mental nicknames. "What do you want to be called?" He lifted it up, spreading its back legs _ahh._ "Alright little guy, sorry for flashing your goods."

Edward slowly worked dish-soap into the kitten's fur, letting out a deep breath as the dirt quickly rinsed off it.

Ten minutes later Edward was reclined on his Salvation army chair, with the kitten asleep on his lap.

~oOo~

Edward groaned as he slowly started to rouse from sleep. His back was sore in all the wrong places and his lap was hot as fuck. He looked down confused, only to see a little ball of black and grey striped fur on his upper thighs.

He nudged the kitten with his finger, smiling to himself as it slowly lifted its head. "Mornin' little guy." Using two fingers, he scratched its ears, watching the little thing come alive. "I should name you shouldn't I?"

Edward scratched the back of his head as he thought of names. Tiger was too cliché and every other fucking name he could come up with sounded like they belonged to people so he was really only stuck with one. "Cat works pretty well don'tcha think?"

As if Cat understood what he was saying, it moved its head, seemingly nodding its approval. Either way the little guy didn't have much choice. Edward wasn't what you call "creative".

He carefully placed Cat onto the floor, minding where his feet were at all times. As he walked towards the little space he donned the kitchen, Cat pranced alongside him. Edward pulled open the mini fridge and frowned at the little food selection he had. He couldn't even feed himself, yet here he was taking on another living breathing thing like he knew what he was fucking doing.

"I really got nothing..." He said to Cat as he snipped a box of week old Lo Mein. "Shit." His nose turned up in disgust at the stench the container was letting out, tossing it as quickly as possible into the trash behind him.

Remembering the fact that humans could stay alive for at least 72 hours on fluids alone, he rifled through the cabinets in search of a water bowl for Cat.

"This is really all I got, man." He said as he put a coffee mug fill of water onto the floor. "I promise I'll get you some food on my way home from work."

_Jesus Christ I'm talking to a cat._

Edward rolled his eyes at himself, slowly walking over to the pile of clean clothes. He stripped down to his birthday suit, tugging on a pair of boxers as he stalked off in search of deodorant. He disregarded a shower and shave, not really giving a shit how he presented himself.

He didn't want to go to work. Court mandated shit.

With a shrug and a second to crack his knuckles, Edward patted Cat on the head and left. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, his usual MO, grabbing his leather jacket from his chair just in case.

As he opened the door to leave his apartment, his eyes traveled along the walls to Cat. The little guy was sitting, like a dog, watching his every move. Guilt pierced Edward's heart at the idea of leaving him all by himself. But what if he had a home? What if Edward was denying a family of their pet?

"Nah."

Edward shook his head and passed his fingers through his hair. The state that Cat was in when he started rubbing on Edward said no-go to having a family. Ten bucks says the bastards dropped him off.

"I won't leave ya little guy." Edward waved at Cat as he gripped the doorknob. "I promise."

**Reviews are better than stray kittens.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

It was hard to determine the exact day Bella's life took a turn for the worst. But as of late, she had noticed how stupid she was. Because everything had gotten exponentially worse. She asked her self almost every day, why she put herself through this, why she was still putting herself through this. The answer though, was something to laugh at.

Chickenshit.

Bella should get that tattooed on her forehead, for the world to see.

As she sat up in bed, watching James sleep, something inside her changed. Like the weaker part of her shifted, taking up residence behind her inner strength. The urge to run, to grant herself happiness and safety was ever so strong.

But she couldn't.

And it wasn't Stockholm Syndrome, Bella was too sane for that. No, she feared the safety of her family. He knew where they lived, where they slept every night. She wouldn't allow her parents to be at risk. She knew the severity of James' anger, been at the receiving end on more than one account. When he felt betrayed, he would stretch to the ends of the earth until his thirst for revenge was sated.

She would do anything to protect those she loves. No matter the price.

Bella ran her fingers through her hair as James started to stir, trying to dispel the nerves that made themselves present.

"Coffee?" She asked as he sat up and dry-washed his face.

His eyes were locked on his phone, a smile on his lips as he responded with a short "Yeah."

Bella hurried out of bed, taking advantage of his obvious good mood. The coffee pot came to life with a low buzz as she closed the lid. Not wanting to appear bored, she started cleaning little things around the kitchen, wiping down the stove top and counters.

She grabbed his favorite mug out of the cabinet, keeping her fingers crossed that stupid smile would stay plastered to his face until he left.

"Isabella."

His rough voice went right up her spine, but it was a sound she had gotten used to. "Yes?"

He sighed and ran his fingers over his buzz-cut, still staring at his phone. "I have business to attend to. Something came up. I'll have to leave town for the weekend."

Trying her best to hide her anxiety, Bella asked, "When do you leave?"

"Unfortunately tonight. I'll have to miss work." He sighed heavily. "I expect you to stay here during my absence."

Bella nodded, forcing her head down. "Of course." She lied.

"Good." He grabbed his coffee and sauntered into their bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Bella's eyes slid closed of their own accord, anticipation crawling up her back. At the mere idea of freedom, she felt her shoulders relax, her tense muscles slowly go slack. But finally being granted what she had been waiting for, silently _praying _for, brought an onslaught of different emotions she wasn't prepared for.

She had never been truly alone since she started dating James, hell since she started talking to the bastard. Somehow he was always there, in her thoughts or physically there. Always.

Bella swallowed back the lump in her throat, forcing back her tears. In just a few short hours, she would be on her own, secluded in the apartment that had become her own personal hell. Would she subject herself to the torture of being confined in the white walls she had grown to hate?

Bella shook her head at the drastic turn her thoughts took. Just because the silver ring on her left hand said she was legally bound to James, didn't mean she was his prisoner while he was away. She could let loose and be herself for the weekend. She would allow herself that.

If only that.

"Be careful." Bella said as she watched James, trying to flip the lid on her emotions. She still had to be the considerate little bitch James expected her to be.

He scoffed at her words as he shrugged on his jacket and picked up his bags. "I should say that you to Isabella."

Gasping softly at his words, Bella just nodded and smiled, hoping the son of a bitch would leave. She needed to keep herself in check. One wrong word and her ass would be on the ground.

It wasn't until the door closed that Bella was able to breathe again. But this time it was different. The air seemed fresher, cleaner. It wasn't polluted with the thought of his returning soon. She was on her own, and illegitimate fears aside, she was happy.

~oOo~

Stir crazy was the understatement of the century.

Bella had used up minutes tidying every inch of the apartment she could see and it barely killed the morning hours. She needed a distraction. The walls surrounding her were slowly closing in, making her chest constrict painfully.

The clean air James' absence provided wasn't enough. She needed air devoid of memories and pain. She needed to taste freedom, bite the day in the ass and get out of the apartment.

"Walk it is." Bella said to no one in particular.

Bundled up in her wool coat and scarf she sauntered down the sidewalk, keeping her hands balled up in her jacket pockets. Her eyes wandered over the strangers she passed, silently wondering if they knew who she was or better yet, who she was married to.

James was never quiet about his, _punishments_, seemingly naive to the different pairs of ears across and down the hall from them. Bella always feared one day, someone would make a complaint to the police, forcing them to assess the issue. She didn't want any confrontation from anyone. Bella just wanted to live in the ironic peace he provided.

Bella slowed her pace as she rounded a corner, her eyes locking onto the cyber cafe across the street. The idea of using unmonitored computers was too appealing. She was never allowed to use the laptop back at the apartment. It was restricted, only used for James' work and other "recreational activities".

God willing the place would be empty, giving Bella even more freedom than she really knew what to do with.

She paid the woman behind the counter for an hours usage, hoping that would be enough. As she sat down in front of computer number 7 she stared at the screen. She hadn't really used any electronic system of the sort since college and the irony of it all was that was well over 7 years ago.

Bella double clicked the Internet icon, tapping her fingers against the desk in impatience. The Yahoo home page that came up was littered with distractions. Advertisements, links and news articles were everywhere.

But there was one ad that caught her attention and held it. White pages. People look-up.

"I shouldn't." She whispered to herself.

The idea of invading anyone's privacy with just one click was terrible, unimaginable, but she soon felt her fingers gliding across the keys typing in two words that made her heart speed up.

_Cullen, Edward._

**Props to my bfffffffff, Erin who makes this story complete.**

**Dunno if there are any cyber cafes out there anymore, if not, yeah takin' some creative licenses on that shit. **

**Finally starting to get somewhere aren't we?**

**Reviews are better than Yahoo.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**This totally, ****totally**** ran away from me...**

Edward tried to hide his frustration as he stood, arms crossed over his chest, in the cat food aisle. Brightly colored packages were silently screaming at him, making his small headache an entire cranium pain.

"Can't have one simple shit?" He mumbled under his breath.

Cat didn't seem picky thank fuck. The little guy just wanted some attention and some food. Edward could do that. Simple enough.

"Whatever."

He blindly reached for the cheapest thing in front of him, praying to whatever Deity would listen Cat wasn't allergic to it. It was a big orange bag with a terribly photo-shopped tabby on the cover, but it was under ten bucks and that worked for Edward.

"Do you need any help sir?"

Edward looked over his shoulder at the peppy little girl beside him. She looked like she was under the age of 16 and he wasn't sure if her natural eye color was blue or black considering the amount of make-up she had going on around her face.

"No."

Instead of leaving him alone, taking the hint that he didn't want to fucking socialize, the little tyke kept chatting away, being all touchy-feely. Was that even allowed in a grocery store?

"Are you sure you don't need any help? Need me to find anything?"

Edward quirked an eyebrow at her starstruck expression and tamped down the urge to push her over. "No."

And with that, he brushed past the teenybopper beside him and headed straight for the freezer section. He only had another twenty for this week's food stock up, so buying in bulk was his best bet.

Armed with two paper bags full of his future food intake, Edward braved the crisp air and left the confines of the store to begin his journey home.

At nights like this, with the air forcing its way through the little warmth his jacket provided, Edward despised not having a car. He was at the sidewalk's beck and call, crippled by the lack of transportation. Of course, if he ever did make the purchase, his ass would probably be triple what he was now without the constant leg workout.

All things considered, his life wasn't that bad. Currently, not in the past. Fuck that.

"Shit." Edward stood in front of the entrance to his apartment building, his eyes flicking back and forth between the bags in his hands and the door handle. "How the fuck am I supposed to open this fucker?"

_Whatever_.

Edward used the toe of his boot, forcing the bastard open with a little flick of his foot. The three flights of stairs were another story though. Edward was fit, but running upstairs without his hands was scary as fuck.

"Another fucking door."

Edward growled and grumbled his way into his apartment, feeling the stress work brought slowly fade. He was in his familiar place and Cat was prancing his way over. It was nice to be greeted when he got home.

Edward crouched over, running the flat of his palm over Cat's back. He smirked as the little guy started purring, rubbing against his ankles and knees.

"Yeah, yeah."

Edward tossed his jacket onto his chair, placing the grocery bags on his poor excuse for a kitchen table. He tore into the bags, seeking out Cat's food. After refilling the little guy's mug full of water and finding another container for his food, Edward put the rest of his purchases away and got settled on the chair.

He kicked off his boots and wrenched his shirt off with a sigh, crossing his legs at the ankle. Cat took residence on his lap and at that second in time, almost everything felt right.

Almost.

_Knock. Knock._

"The fuck..."

Edward sat up and passed his fingers through his hair, frowning at the sound from the other side of his door. Carefully moving Cat onto the floor, Edward got up, crossing his apartment floor in a few steps. Without asking who was on the other side he wrenched open the door, feeling his heart instantly stop beating at the sight before him.

_No. No no no. This can't be happening._

"Shit. Bel-bella?"

Edward rubbed his eyes a few times, slapping his face. This was a fucked up dream, that's all it was. His mind was just fucking with him.

"Hi Edward."

_Shit that _was_ her voice._

Edward nervously ran his fingers through his hair as he forced his eyes up the perfect shape of her body, over the form-fitting jeans that hugged her legs perfectly, past the tight t-shirt hidden under her jacket. Her face was his favorite part though, with its perfect shape, plump lips and eyes that showed you her soul.

"You-what, I, uh..."

Bella's hands turned into fists at her side, instantly making Edward feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I'm here. I didn't mean to bother you."

"No!" Edward exclaimed louder than he should have. "I-I want you to stay." He ran his fingers through his hair, giving himself an internal kick in the ass. "Come, please." He froze. "Inside. No! I mean, just..."

Edward took a few steps backward, motioning with his hand for Bella to come inside.

His apartment.

**Yeah, this was supposed to start with him opening the door to her, but Cat wanted to say hello.**

**Reviews are better than coming inside. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**What's this? Two updates in one day? Can I get some reviews as a reward? **

**Please?**

Bella was beside herself trying to reign in the laughter that wanted to come out. Well, that and trying to stop her eyes from lingering on his chest. His bare, muscular, tattooed chest.

_Fuck._

The man in front of her was familiar. He wasn't an angry stranger, he wasn't a yelling bastard. He was the Edward she fell in love with ten years ago. Fussing around his apartment, trying to clean up the mess that was his daily life, trying to impress her.

Bella didn't need to be impressed. She didn't need fancy things or clean things to be impressed. Although, clean things were a preference. The chance of getting herpes from sitting or touching any object around her was a thought that had passed through her mind many times.

"I'm so sorry my apartment looks, like well _this._ I just-I wasn't expecting company. Fuck even _you_. Shit."  
>Bella smiled as she watched Edward continue to throw things into the corner.<p>

"I don't mind, really. Considering I popped in unannounced doesn't say much about my people skills."  
>Her eyes stayed locked on his movements, watching his forearms flex every time he grabbed something. It took every ounce of strength to jump him. Not to push him up against the brick wall behind him and fuck the ever loving shit out of him.<p>

"Bella?"

Shaking her head to clear the heavenly mental fog his body created, Bella looked at Edward. "Yeah?" Her words were practically a pathetic sounding moan.

"You're not allergic to cats are you?"

Bella tried to mask her confusion, but to no avail. "Not that I'm aware of.."

"_Meow."_

Bella looked at her feet, smiling at the little stripped ball of fur on the floor below her. "Where in the world did you come from?" She asked as she bent at the waist to pet the little thing.

It instantly responded, tilting its head towards her palm for more hand to fur contact. "He, uh followed me home."

Bella tilted her head up slightly, making eye-contact with a still half naked, blushing, delicious arms crossed over his chest, Edward. With her eyes, Bella silently willed him to elaborate. Or lose the pants. She prayed for the latter of course.

"He was just outside, and gave me this, I dunno, look and so I just took him in. He was covered in shit, but nothing was broken... We kinda clicked, so I figured I'd keep him."

Without even realizing it, Bella's eyes welled up with tears at the tone of Edward's voice. It was gentle, happy and almost proud. Like he knew he did something right and was being slightly bashful about it. Either way it was just one more pro on her mental "Reasons to Bang Edward" list.

Bella cleared her throat before asking, "What's his name?"

Edward scratched the back of his neck, the movement doing delicious things to his chest. "Yeah, I'm not really that creative, so he's just, uh, Cat."

Bella smiled at him, carefully picking up Cat and hugging him to her chest. "It's fitting."

"Yeah..." Edward slapped himself on the forehead as he walked into the kitchen area. "You should sit, I mean, if you want to, I have chairs."

Bella just nodded and smiled, enjoying every second of his awkward behavior. The insecure fumbling man in front of her made her heart swell. She missed Edward, she missed everything about him. She felt different around him, felt more herself.

More of who she was supposed to be, than who she was at this moment in time.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you some sort of notice." Bella apologized again. "You could have had company, I bet your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate the ex making an appearance." Bella didn't bother hiding her scowl as she said "girlfriend".

The idea of any tramp even _thinking_ about touching her Edward made her sick. The thought made her want to completely eradicate the entire female population of the world. Hell, the men population too. Just have her and Edward alone on the earth. She'd love to repopulate the land with him...

"There is none." Edward said quickly.

"Good." Bella's eyes went wide as the word slipped out of her mouth. "I don't mean _good_ good, I just-I didn't."

_Just stop while you're barely ahead_, her conscience warned her.

"I'm sorry. I keep saying the wrong things, doing the wrong things." Thinking the wrong things.

Edward waved his hands in front of her, shaking his head as he did so. "Don't apologize please. I never have company. If it weren't for Cat I'd be completely alone. Of course now I'm just a twenty-seven year old man living in a shitty apartment with a stray cat, sitting half naked in the room with my-"

Bella leaned forward in her seat, wanting to hear the rest of his rambling. What was she to him?

"Do you want anything to drink?" He offered, quickly changing the subject.

Bella gently patted Cat's head before letting him leave her lap with an ungraceful jump to the floor. "Water is fine." she replied quietly.

Edward handed her a glass with a shaky hand, but still had yet to rectify his blatant almost complete nudity. His jeans were slung low on his hips and a little sliver of a tribal looking tattoo was peeking out from underneath the waist band above his ass.

When he sat back down, he was noticeably closer to her, a freshly opened beer bottle in his right hand, his left resting on the table. His fingers were pointed towards the ceiling, his entire palm open and practically begging to be grabbed and held onto. All she could think about at the moment was taking his hand and twining their fingers together. Absorbing the perfect fit their hands seemed to have.

As she stared down at her evenly spaced fingers, a part of her mourned the lack of contact with his. Such a simple gesture seemed like the biggest thing and Bella hated herself for wanting it.

"How have you been?" He asked, his breath fanning over her face.

_Well that was a loaded question._

Inhaling greedily, Bella shrugged, not wanting to answer the question. She wasn't sure what her response would be; all she did know was that it couldn't be the truth. No one could know the truth no matter how many dots he had already pieced together.

"Fine."

Instantly his hand enveloped hers, their fingers instantly tangling together. The skin of his hands was rough, his fingers calloused from hours of hard labor. There were tiny scars on the back of his hand, little but grey enough to be obvious. She wanted to know where they came from, how he spent the last seven years of his life.

If he needed her as much as she needed him.

But the contact, the spark, the warmth that flooded through her body as he lightly squeezed her fingers woke her up. She jerked her hand back as if she was burned, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso.

"Shit! I'm sorry, I didn't mean- overstep..."

"I shouldn't be here. I-I have to go." Bella hurriedly grabbed as many of her things as she could, before dashing out the door. She refused to look back as she shrugged her coat on as she exited the door of his apartment building. She hated that they had gotten that close.

_Too bad it wasn't close enough_.

**Reviews are better than holding hands.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**So whenever I hand write things, they turn out shitty. So pardon the beginning little bit and its epic fail, the rest is typed. **

**Edward wouldn't shut up and I apologize for how long it took to hammer this little bitch out. But it's long so does that make up for it? :)**

**Enjoy!**

The door to his apartment slammed shut with a resounding thud. Edward stayed planted in the chair, staring down at his hands. He unfurled his fingers out of the fist they had subconsciously curled into.

His mind backtracked through what just happened, replaying touching Bella over and over again.

Her skin was so fucking soft.

"_Meow."_

Edward exhaled heavily as he looked down at Cat. The little guy was staring at the empty chair above him with longing, stealing glances at Edward in-between.

"I don't know why she left." Edward leaned forward and picked him up. "I just know it's my fault."

Cat meowed quietly again, rubbing his head against Edward's elbow. The animal provided comfort, a feeling Edward wasn't used to receiving.

"I miss her already." Edward whispered pathetically.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair as he sat up, pushing the two wooden chairs back under the mismatching table. Not really sure what to do, he looked at Cat and asked the animal his opinion.

In response, Cat jumped onto the table, his eyes fixed on the scarf crumpled on the corner. He started playing with the tassels dangling over the edge, his pupils dilating significantly.

"Don't play with that." Edward said as he picked Cat up again, cradling him in his arms. "That's not yours. Fuck it's not even mine."

A huge grin broke spread across Edward's lips as the name of the scarf's owner dawned on him. It was Bella's scarf.

~oOo~

It took Edward overnight to muster up the courage to consider returning Bella's scarf. So many thoughts ran though his mind at once, he called it a night early, just to escape.

He would return it today though. He was a gentleman. Plus it was starting to get cold outside, he wouldn't risk the chance of his Bella catching a cold.

"I shouldn't be so fucking scared." Edward said quietly to Cat as he started getting dressed for his expedition to Bella's.

He knew the path, how many turns and stops he had to make before approaching her apartment. It was seared into his mind ever since he walked her home that night. Two weeks ago.

"I just have to knock on the door, say a quick 'hello' give her the scarf and leave. That's it." No more touching, no more talking. This was the end of the road for them.

His heart hurt at the thought.

"Fuck."

Edward ran his fingers roughly through his hair as he pulled on his worn leather jacket. There were small cracks where the material dried out slightly along his shoulders, the elbows grey with abuse. The lining inside was coming apart at the seams, but Edward refused to part with it.

It was like a stuffed animal that a child slept every night because it helped keep the bad dreams away. He bought that jacket the night he got out. Same time he bought that shitty little Salvation Army chair. Sally's was the best. Hands down.

Edward dry-washed his face with a sigh as he grabbed Bella's scarf. The knitted material was so soft, practically as soft as her skin. He kept it in his fist as he jammed his hands into his jacket pockets and vacated his apartment.

The air was cold and stung the unprepared skin of his face as he finally stepped outside. The sun wasn't as strong out today, unfortunately. The bright bastard was failing at his duty of warming everything up. Everyone was paying for it.

As Edward came up to the corner that started all this, he couldn't help but smile, frown and let every freaking emotion that was dancing along in his brain out. He was mad as fuck at himself for not realizing it was Bella in the first place. Annoyed that he got all flustered in front of a woman. And worst of all, he was angry for being sad that he missed Bella.

Again.

"Pussy."

Edward shook his head at himself as he stuck a cigarette between his lips. He made sure to keep his hand on the scarf at all times. Of course lighting up, against the wind, while walking was not an easy task.

At fucking all.

Curses escaped his lips around his cigarette as he tried to multitask. Edward finally understood why women were always better at doing so many different things at once. Their minds worked that way. Men focused on three things: sex, food and alcohol. The only multitasking their thoughts took on was attempting to combine the three.

It wasn't long before Edward finally reached the destination of Bella's apartment. Something in the pit of his stomach was saying _turn around_, but Edward wasn't sure why.

With a deep breath to steel himself, Edward stomped on his cigarette and headed inside.

The building Bella lived in was so different compared to his own. Where his had broken lights, peeling paint and stains of god knows what on the walls: Bella's was clean, stark white with lights every three feet along the ceiling. The floor was actually clean, hell the entire fucking building was _clean._

Edward felt out of place, completely.

He looked at the display board to his right, his eyes scanning quickly over the names once, twice and three times until he remembered that, for all intents and purposes Bella was married. He scowled and pushed that thought away, looking for a "James" something or other.

When his eyes finally did lock on a "James Reynolds" he locked his jaw and ascended up the stairs to apartment "2D".

Edward silently prayed to god that son of a bitch wasn't home, because if he was there was no telling what Edward would do.

It took just as much time and courage to knock on the red wooden door as it did for Edward to push his sorry ass out of his apartment. It wasn't three deep breaths before a quiet voice said "Door's open".

"You shouldn't say shit like that." The words slipped out of his mouth before his brain had the time to stop his tongue. Instead of stopping that word train, he gave the fucker more gas. "Anyone could just walk inside and do god-the-fuck-knows-what to you."

"Edward?"

He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head, feeling the damn heat of a blush rising up into his cheeks. "Yeah, I didn't mean- I'm sorry, I just wanted to... Here." He thrust her scarf towards her as if the fucker was on fire and spun on his heel as quickly as gracefully possible.

"You don't have to leave." She whispered to him.

Against his slowly dying better judgment he turned around to face her again. She was all curled up around the scarf, both of her hands fisting the material and the look she had on her face made him feel like a god. It was like no one ever did anything nice to her, like returning something that was _hers_ in the first place was giving her a key to the pearly gates of heaven.

Jesus fuck.

"I know what happened back at my apartment, I know it made you uncomfortable." He shook his head. "I don't want you to feel that way around me. I just- fuck. I'm sorry. You left your scarf."

"And you returned it."

Edward nodded his head slowly.

"Thank you."

He didn't make eye-contact with her, instead letting his pussy-like side embrace the glorious hard wood floor below his feet. He didn't want to look around her apartment for fear of seeing something resembling Mr. Reynolds and being the ignite to his pent up anger. Not what he needed.

"I'm sorry about how I reacted yesterday, it's just that I haven't been touched so _tenderly_ before. It pushed me even further out of my element and I didn't like the change. So I'm sorry about how I reacted, it's not your fault."

No, just the son-of-a-bitch who thinks he fucking owns you, Edward thought to himself.

Edward kept his flapper shut though, he didn't need to push Bella or himself any closer to the edge of the proverbial cliff. He was comfortable standing on solid ground at the moment thank you very much.  
>"Can I get you something to drink?" Bella offered, awkwardly looking past him.<p>

Shit. In not speaking to her he fucked everything up even more. "Whatever you have is fine."

Bella nodded and quickly and efficiently got to work pouring coffee into two different mugs. Instead of fixing hers to her personal standards she took every caffeine related thing from the fridge and lined it all up on the table in front of Edward.

He uncomfortably shifted from side to side in the leather upholstered chair, eyeing the different shaped bottles hesitantly. Half of the fucking brands were strangers to him, the other half he couldn't pronounce and the shit _not_ from the fridge was the only familiar territory. He took the sugar container in his fist and spun it upside down, holding it against gravity for a few heartbeats before putting it back down.

He denied the little silver spoon, instead swirling the cup until it seemed mixed enough.

"I'm glad you came over yesterday." He blurted out, breaking the silence that fell upon them.

Bella smiled slightly into her coffee, peeking at him with her brow doe eyes. "I miss talking to you, Edward."

_I miss _you.

"It's nice, talking to you again I mean. I missed it too." So much. "It's kinda fucked up that we meet again, a few years down the road."

Bella nodded in agreement. "It's different."

Fucking awkward as hell too. "Look, I know the last time we talked, it wasn't on the best of terms. I get that we can't just start up where we left off, but can we be friends again?"

_Just throw your body off the boat too why dontcha._ Fucking putting his heart out on the line, right on the sleeve of his leather jacket. What if she flicked the bastard off his arm and strutted away like nobody's business? What the hell would he do if she just said, no?

"I'd like that."

Edward exhaled the air he didn't realize his lungs were harboring and gave her his first sincere smile of the day. But the faraway look in her eyes meant bad news. "It's not that easy is it?"

Bella looked away and her bobbing head gave him his answer.

_No, it wouldn't be._

"We'll make it work, Bella." Edward tried to swallow back the lump that formed in the back of his throat. "I lived without you for too long, I'm not gonna fucking do that again. Understand?"

"Okay."

The sound of a metal key jamming its way into the doorknob sixty feet away from the two made both Edward and Bella jump.

The big bad bastard was home.

**I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING. I fail, I understand this. But the response I got on "Chance Encounters" well, you all know- tears. **

**So. Next chappie? Bella POV.**

**Reviews are better than understandings. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**First thing, I don't think Imma update "Chance Encounters" until I have a few more of this little ditty written because, well I'm more partial to "Back in Town". There I said it. I like confident-but-not-really Edward. A lot. **

**PS, it's short.**

**Warning... Abuse. Mongo. Hopefully not to to bad... PS, it's all ****made up**** from my mind, kay?**

Bella's heart leapt into her throat as the door to the apartment flew open. Uncontrollable fear crippled her, preventing her body from moving from her perch in the kitchen. Edward's body tensed and his eyes focused on her, so many different emotions swirling behind the dark emerald.

"Isabella?"

Bella's body shivered at his voice. Her defensive train of thought kicked in, she knew what to do when it came to James. After everything she's been through, her instincts would be the only things able to save her ass. She rose from her chair and stalked towards the door, her mind was churning a mile a minute to come up with an excuse for Edward's presence.

Either way, his being in James' territory would result in a battle she wasn't prepared to witness.

As she rounded the corner, she tried to hide the fear in her voice and asked, "How was your trip?"

Instead of answering her question, James held up Edward's leather jacket, his face flushed crimson with anger. "What the fuck is this?"

Bella wrung her hands in front of herself, staring at the floor. "It's a jacket..."

Without warning James' palm connected with her cheek, forcing her head to jerk to the right.

"I know it's a fucking jacket, I don't deserve your attitude Isabella. Whose is it?"

Heavy footfalls echoed into the entrance way. "It's mine." Edward growled.

Bella took a few steps back as she watched the little vein on James' forehead to make an appearance. Edward needed to leave.

James straightened his posture and curled his fingers into tight fists. "And who the fuck are you?"

"I'm-"

"Just dropping something off." Bella said, interrupting Edward. "He was just leaving."

"But-"

Bella carefully took the jacket from James and handed it to Edward, essentially throwing it at his face. "Bye." She whispered.

Edward opened his mouth to obviously protest but thought better of it, allowing his brows to furrow in the most frustrating of ways as he wrenched it from her grasp and left without another word.

James kicked the door closed with the heel of his boot, using the push to force himself closer to Bella. For every step he took to advance towards her she took backwards until she came into contact with the wall behind her.

"Who the hell was that Isabella?"

James grabbed her upper arms, his fingers digging into her bare skin as his eyes bore into hers. She opened her mouth to answer but was rendered unable as he tossed her to his left, her back hitting the floor hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

His entire frame was shaking as he crouched down next to her. His current expression alone was enough to give Bella nightmares, but not knowing how this night would end made her heart beat frantically in her chest. What was she supposed to do?

"I thought my lesson on what happens when you disobey me was enough to prevent it from happening _again._" He sneered the word. "I suppose it didn't." James shook his head, an evil smirk on his lips. "I'll just have to force the knowledge onto you again."

He forced Bella into a sitting position, holding her torso up with his left hand as he brought his right fist back and thrust it forward with enough force to make Bella's vision go black.

~oOo~

"Mrs. Reynolds, can you hear me?"

Bella whimpered as a pair of hands poked and prodded her ribs. The person's hands were cold, cold enough to wake her up.

"Mrs. Reynolds, we're going to take you to the hospital."

Bella's face contorted in pain as she whispered, "Who are you?"

"I'm a paramedic ma'am. Your neighbor Mrs. Cope from across the hall called us. You were banged up pretty bad. Okay?"

"Edward..."

"Who is that?"

Bella groaned as her body was placed onto something hard. Everything on her hurt and she couldn't remember a fucking thing. All she knew was that she wanted Edward and she wanted him now.

"Edward..."

"Ma'am can you open your eyes?"

Bella bit her lip as she did as the paramedic said, forcing her eyes shut the instant she recognized a bright light in her line of sight.

Another voice asked her who "Edward" was again. Just hearing his name brought tears to her eyes. She wanted her Edward here.

**Yeah, it's short. Sorry bout that, but I really **_**really**_** wanted the next chapter to come out... EPOV xD so, enjoy this little tid bit, we are finalllyyyyyy getting somewhere.**

**Reviews are better than wanting Edward.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Two updates in one day?**

**Life sucks, so much. But my super shitty real life totally fucked my mood in the ass. So, I needed a distraction hence how long this bitch is.**

**I don't work with cars, I just know the one I drive is a 2001 Explorer. And a gas guzzler. So, imagination... Yay...**

Edward scowled as he pushed his time card into the machine, tapping his foot as it made the most fucked up noises until it spit his card back out. He dropped it into the pile and headed out into the yard, rolling his eyes at the cluster fuck of people near the Mercedes in the corner.

Shiny new shit was like a drug to the other men he worked with. Hell sometimes, Edward was afraid they'd all whip out their dicks to the fucking cars that passed through. Edward liked cars, a lot in fact. But you'd never once see him drooling over one. Driving was nice. It was also a privilege. And just like a slut, it's taken advantage of constantly.

Edward rolled up his sleeves as he walked into the garage. A line up of cars sat in the main garage, a few were on car lifts, and the others had the guys that just wanted to do their thing and be left alone on top of them.

Edward sidled up in front of a beat up Buick and popped the hood as he looked over the list of "to-do".

"Cullen!"

Elbow deep inside the fucker's engine Edward's head snapped up at his boss's voice.

Edward's head snapped up at his boss's voice. "Yeah?" He asked hesitantly.

"Phone call for you. Pick up in the office."

Edward's brow furrowed in confusion, but he dropped the tools he was working with and jogged into the office. The land-line was flipped upside down, the receiver face first with the desk. He grabbed it in his oil covered hand.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this Edward Cullen?"

"Who wants to know?"

The voice on the other end laughed quietly, but not in a friendly way. Almost in a don't-fucking-play-with-me-boy kinda way. "I'm Detective Samuels. A Mrs. Isabella Reynolds was admitted to the hospital late last night and whenever she becomes slightly coherent she asks for 'Edward'. After a little digging we determined you were the Edward she asked about. We'd like for you to come to the hospital and answer a few questions."

Hospital.

Bella was in the hospital.

Bella was in the hospital and a fucking cop was talking to her.

Bile rose up through Edward's throat as a laundry list of possible injuries ran through his head. Bella hit by a car, shot. Fuck that last one hit home.

"I'll be right there."

Without listening to whatever else the cop might have said he slammed the phone back into the cradle, scribbled a note to his boss explaining his disappearance and dashed out of the shop.

He took off running down the sidewalks, pushing people out of his way. Yeah, he had no fucking car and didn't bother wasting time catching a cab. Edward knew he was in shape, he could run it.

_Can't. Fucking. Breathe._

Edward's subconscious kept repeating those three words the entire six mile run to the hospital. By the time he actually got there he was pretty sure his heart would beat right the fuck out of his chest and onto the sterile tile floor.

His legs felt like they turned into jelly and it was then he realized he wasn't in as great of shape he initially thought. But then again no one can haul ass for a six mile run. That shit was not easy.

Once Edward regained what he could of his breath, he power walked into the hospital, crashing into this huge mass of a man. Of course it was more the fucker was short and stacked. Edward could take him. Easily.

Maybe.

"Mr. Cullen?"

"Yeah?"

The guy Edward just happen to knock into was the cop. The cop assigned to Bella's "case".

"So, I just need to ask you a few simple questions."

Edward stepped back and passed his fingers through his hair, praying the bastard stuck to a few and only a few.

Staring down at his notepad the cop asked. "How do you know Mrs. Reynolds?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "We grew up together, dated in high school and college. Next."

The officer scribbled on his pad quickly. "Do you know anyone who may want to harm Mrs. Reynolds?"

Edward didn't bother hiding his scoff. "Yeah, the son of a bitch she's legally bound to."

The cop's eyebrows shot up at Edward's deceleration. "So you're saying he abused her?"

"Fucking understatement." Edward stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. "She was his fucking maid, he scared the hell out of her. She has scars and bruises and freaks out if you touch her in certain places. Look, I just saw her three weeks ago after not seeing her for seven years. I. Want. To. See. Bella."

The look Edward was giving the cop must have been scary enough because the fucker nodded with his wide eyes and led Edward down the hall to the emergency room.

Edward felt his heart fall to his feet as he approached the side of her bed. Her face was beaten practically unrecognizably, there were wires and machines every-fucking-where and half the bandages that were on her were stained red with blood. Her lips were chapped and split and slightly parted around something sticking out of her mouth.

"What is that?" He asked the nurse, pointing to the tube sticking out of her lips.

"It's a breathing tube." She gave him a once over. "Are you family?"

"I'm more than fucking family." Edward said as he carefully picked up Bella's hand, holding it in both of his. "I'm in love with her."

The nurse stared at him, her eyes moving over to her left hand. "Not the husband?"

Edward's entire face contorted at the mention of that son-of-a-bitch. "No." He said tersely.

The nurse didn't leave even after his rude ass behavior. Hoping the woman would possibly understand his position he quietly asked what happened.

"Her lung collapsed, well it was punctured by a few broken ribs. She had surgery to put those back together. Has some pins in her upper ribcage. She was terribly beaten when she came in here. Half of us weren't sure she was going to survive the night."

"But she did." Edward said quickly.

"Miraculously so."

Bella moaned quietly from Edward's right, her body moving seemingly closer to him.

"When will she get the tube taken out?"

Edward was itching to talk to her, help her, be whatever Bella needed at the moment. And if he had it his way, forever. But fuck the wishful thinking. All he could focus on was seeing her eyes again. He just wanted to get lost in the familiar brown depths.

"Depends on what the doctor says. Also depends on how she is when she wakes up." The nurse looked at her watch. "Which should be fairly soon. I'll go get the doctor."

He nodded his head and carefully stood up, leaning over Bella's prone form to gently kiss her forehead. "I'm right here baby. This time I'm not leaving you, I won't lose you again."

**Next one, Bella wakes up. More with the cop, more with Dr. Clearwater and even more with Edward and his sappy side. Stay tuned!**

**Reviews are better than being there.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**Yeah, time lapse... sorry. **

Bella wished she could go back in time.

Months, maybe even years. She wished she could tell her self what to do, what not to do. How to avoid this shit storm she currently found herself stuck in and ensure she would never get hurt.

But time travel was more of a wishful thought than a real possibility.

Bella quietly racked her brain on where she could be at the moment, considering terrible shots of pain were coursing throughout her body every few seconds. Had she fallen again? That didn't seem right. The headache that started to form at her attempt of recall made her stop instantly and instead pray that she would wake up and remember what the hell was going on.

She did hear voices around her, the lapse in silence distracted her slightly from the pain in her body. She tried to make out what they were saying, but she couldn't. Bella knew there were other people around her, but it was like she was submerged underwater. There were sounds all around her, but she couldn't place them.

It must have been hours before Bella was able to find the motivation to pry her eyes open. She didn't know what to expect to see when she did so, but the sight of Edward's worried expression, his face inches from hers made a smile form on her lips.

Edward was here.

"Oh thank God." He said as his head fell forward.

Instinctively she raised her hand to his face, but clear wires tugged her arm back. Persistence won that small battle though, allowing her palm to touch his rough, stubble covered cheek. Her prayers were answered. Her Edward was here with her, in the flesh.

"I was so worried." He said quietly, carefully removing her hand from his face.

Bella stared at her hand as he lowered it to her lap. Was there something on her hand? She shook her head as she examined her palm. It seemed fine, why did he move her hand?

"Mrs. Reynolds, I need to ask a few questions." A strange voice said from her right.

Bella didn't bother hiding her cringe at the name. She wished she had stopped herself though, the contorting of her face hurt like a bitch.

"Who are you?" Bella asked after she finally tore her eyes off of Edward.

The man stepped closer to the side of her hospital bed, gripping the railing. The man screamed authority, his posture was rigid and he wasn't tiny. His suit was perfectly tailored and the shirt he wore underneath seemed freshly pressed. He must hold a lot of power somewhere.

But his close proximity instantly made Bella anxious, causing her heart to speed up at an alarming rate. Machine after machine surrounding her went haywire. She practiced taking deep breaths to calm herself but the attempt was for naught. The only thing that helped her heart rate slow was Edward.

He resumed his perch on the edge of her bed, gently rubbing her arm. For a split second her eyes locked on his lips, zeroing in on the sharp curve of his upper lip, and for that split second she wished she could kiss him.

"Are you alright?" A woman said from the doorway.

The man in the power-suit next to her took a small step back and waved the woman off bobbing his head up and down quickly.

"Look Mrs. Reynolds, I just need to get your statement and I'll be on my way."

"What statement?"

The man pinched his nose, exhaling heavily out his mouth. "You were found in your apartment, beaten, unconscious. Do you know who did that to you?"

Bella bit her lip, trying again to clear the fog that had taken residence over her short term memory. She remembered Edward leaving her apartment, James' anger and most importantly his fist.

"Yes." She said in a small voice.

The man took out a small notepad and clicked his pen as he asked, "Who?"

"My husband."

Edward heaved himself off the bed and started pacing. His entire body was rigid and his face was practically crimson.

The man threw questions at her left and right, her answers only being quick head movements.  
>"Has this happened before?" Nod. "Did you ever report him?" Shake. "Has he threatened you?" Nod. "Have there been witnesses to any of his attacks?" Shake. "Has he ever taken you against your will?" Nod.<p>

The growl that escaped Edward's lips at the last question affected Bella in two ways. One, it was hot as hell. Two, it was scary as hell too.

"Mr. Cullen, your being privy to Mrs. Reynolds' questioning is a gift that I never grant to people. I expect you to be quiet for the rest of it or I'll have to ask you to leave."

Edward looked over at Bella, his face contorted in a look of pure pain. He forced a small smile her way before excusing himself for a smoke.

"Mrs. Reynolds, explain your relationship with Mr. Cullen to me."

Bella took an unsteady breath before speaking. She told the officer about their growing up together and relationship in high school. How they had broken up and she ended up with James and how by some miracle Edward reentered her life recently.

"So your relationship with him is purely platonic?"

Bella was offended by the insinuation. "Excuse me?"

The officer smiled at her for the first time since she woke up. "I've seen the way he looks at you Mrs. Reynolds. That man never stopped caring for you." The man stood up from the hospital chair beside her bed with a groan. "I'll do everything in my power to get James in jail." He started buttoning his coat as he asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

In a bout of unexpected strength Bella said, "I want a divorce. I want the best lawyer in the city on my case. I want a restraining order. I don't want to ever deal with him again. I want that son of a bitch out of my life."

The officer nodded and waved slightly, promising to return before she was discharged, before leaving her hospital room.

Bella let her head fall back against the pillows once she was finally left alone. So many different questions swirled around in her head but she feared she wasn't strong enough to listen to the answers. One question gnawed away at her more than any of the others.

Where was James?

**And many many MANY gracias' to my dear and not-so-near friend Erin. Her lameness=my inspiration. **

**Next chapter, EPOV.**

**Reviews are better than questions.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**So don't miss me too much. RL and all that bull shit is well, just that bull shit. Eff grades, eff teachers and eff school. I'm like two months away from graduating and at this rate I'll flunk out before then.**

***sigh***

**On with it.**

Edward cringed as he started to wake up. His back hurt like a bitch and dammit if his neck had a kink in it. He hated the shit out of the stupid hospital chairs, the metal fuckers really weren't meant for ass to seat contact. Or back to chair, or neck to nonexistent headrest.

Bastards.

Using the metal arms to push himself off the hard-as-fuck seat, Edward stood up and leaned back, sighing as his spine cracked back into place. His face was itchy, his back probably had permanent damage and he would quite honestly kill for food that actually tasted like food. The slop the hospital calls "food" is what food eats.

"Edward?"

His head snapped to his right and there, surrounded by plastic this-that-and-the-other-things was his reason for suffering the terrible amenities the hospital really doesn't offer. He stalked over to the bed, carefully pushing a few stray tendrils of Bella's hair off her forehead.

She smiled so obviously at his touch, her cheek turning into his palm. "Mornin'." He offered, leaving his hand on her face. There was no way in hell he was going to stop touching her.

No. Way.

"When can I get out of here?" She asked quietly, her hands tugging on the bed-sheet.

Reluctantly Edward dropped his hand, passing it through his hair instead. "I'll go ask the doctor." And with that he spun on his heel, and stalked out of the hospital room.

He flagged down the first white-coat he saw and let out a huge sigh when the man said this afternoon.  
>Edward dry-washed his face as he walked back into Bella's room. Aside from the pain fucking everywhere, he felt conflicted in every possible way. He wanted to crawl into bed with Bella, hold her in his arms and know she was okay. But he couldn't do that. And it hurt, physically fucking hurt his heart to not be near her.<p>

_She's still married. _

Edward shook his head at himself, forcing his feet to walk him back into the damn hospital room.  
>He really had no idea what to do once Bella checked out of the hospital. That was really the only reason he forced his feet to move. The fuckers were practically glued to the floor. He didn't want to lose her again. But fuck him, he thought he had a chance. The bastard was gone and now he could swoop in and take complete advantage of her vulnerable state.<p>

Take what was rightfully his.

He wracked his brain on what he could do and three options came to mind.

One: Take Bella back to his apartment and hold her until the kink in his back starts to irritate him, but not let go because he'd be fucking holding Bella.

Two: Kill James, then continue with option one.

Three: Drop her off at her apartment and stay outside like a lost puppy dog until she comes to her senses and seeks him out.

While option two was the most appealing of the lot, he couldn't handle jail time again because 20-life away from Bella, only ten minute increments daily for visiting time.

Not. Okay.

One look at Bella all curled up and broken on that fucking hospital bed sold him.

Option one it is.

~oOo~

As he carefully led Bella out of the hospital doors, Edward mentally and physically slapped his forehead. His car was at work. Six mother fucking miles away. Six miles he ran not five days ago.  
>Because of his inner ramblings, his feet seemed to stop what they were doing and plant themselves on the sidewalk of the hospital.<p>

"Everything okay?" Bella asked in a quiet voice.

The scrubs they had given her to wear home were baggy as hell on her petite little frame and the helpless look in her eye just about ripped Edward's heart from his chest. All he wanted to do was follow through with option one and hug the everloving shit out of her until she relaxed in his arms and chose him.

"My car isn't here." He blurted out.

Bella cocked her head to the side as she wrapped her arms around herself, confusion all over her eyebrows. "Then where is it?"

Edward couldn't control the color rising to his cheeks as he told her it was six miles away.

"Then how the hell did you get here? Did you take a cab?"

Edward scratched the stubble under his chin, avoiding her eyes. "I might have run the six miles. Well at least sprinted the first little bit 'cause adrenaline is a beautiful fucking thing lemme tell ya. But damn, downhill or flat land it's a bitch of a run. Fucking smoker's lung bit my ass the entire-"

"You ran?"

Edward rocked back on his heels as he nodded the affirmative. He wasn't sure whether she was pissed or something else entirely. But when tears started to form in the corner of her deep brown eyes, he carefully took her face in his hands and silently willed her emotions to be more specific.

"What did I do wrong?"

Did he remind her of something James had done? Or hell, something he had done years ago? Fuck, if he opened that big a can of worms from talking about fucking running there was no way in hell there would ever be a normal with Bella.

"Nothing." She whispered, bringing her hands up to her face. "You did absolutely nothing wrong."  
>If he didn't fuck up, then why the fuck was she still visibly upset? "Then please fucking tell me why you're crying. I can fix it Bella, I swear, I just need to know why you're crying." His voice had gotten annoyingly frantic by the end of that line and dammit if he didn't care at the moment.<p>

Bella maneuvered her head out of the hold his palms had and used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her face dry. "You keep doing so much for me Edward. You're practically offering the world when all I have is a severely broken soul. I don't deserve anything you're giving me."

Edward felt every muscle in his body tense at her words. "Bella, for fucks sake, I'm not this good fucking guy you're making me out to be. I'm a fuck up who's been in jail more than he's been out of it. Can't fucking afford real food on account of my fucking nicotine addiction and on top of that I'm still-"

In love with you.

"You're still what?"

Edward passed his fingers through his hair, practically tearing out the edges as he tried to process what just happened.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Nothing, just forget I said anything."

"Edward..."

He pulled away from her outstretched arm, opting instead to pat himself down for his smokes. He scowled as his hands turned up nothing, wishing a fresh pack would magically appear somewhere on his person.

The last thing he needed right now was to be without nicotine for a week straight and be expected to hide his mother fucking feelings.

"Look, we should just- I'll call a cab." He hurried past her, hating himself for leaving her on the sidewalk. He quickly used the payphone in the doorway of the hospital, praying the fucker would get here soon.

"Will you please talk to me?" She pleaded, twisting her hands in front of herself.

Edward waved his hands, dismissing her comment completely. "Don't worry about it. Look, I'm gonna-I want you to... We're gonna go back to my place for the night."

Bella just nodded her head, her body falling into a submissive posture.

Fuck him. Fuck him everywhere and anywhere. To say Edward hated himself was an understatement. He couldn't do anything right.

And fuck him, anywhere because like it or not, he still loved Bella. To the point where time and distance and pain and mistakes didn't fucking matter. All that mattered was that she was his. And it was his mission to make that happen one way or a-fucking-other.

**So it's long, right? And yeah, twss. **

**But anyway, next chappie at Edward's with Bella, in BPOV. Get ready.**

**Shit. Is. Gonna. Get. Real.**

**In a while.**

**STAY WITH ME. PLEASE?**

**Reviews are better than missions.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**So my not so near bff Erin introduced me to this song. It's on the sad side, but the lyrics were mega inspiration. **

**Sorry if the emotions don't really match up with how Bella should be reacting. I typed all this shit on my iPhone. My. Pinkies. Fucking. Hurt. Yeah landscape keyboard, fuck that. **

**See you at the bottom!**

_"Oh please don't go_

_I want you so_

_I can't let go_

_For I lose control"_

"Please Don't Go" - Barcelona

Bella wished she knew what was making Edward so upset. One thing she had recently realized was that you could never get a clear read on him. His moods were constantly all over the place even when he tried to keep them in check.

She hated that he was hiding something from her, hated that something was upsetting him and hated that she was worrying herself over it.

Daily, Bella reminded herself that the closeness they had years ago was at best, a memory. The chances of achieving that again were slim to none.

Cue the heavy, upset, annoyed, unfair, teenage angsty sigh.

"Are you hungry?"

Bella turned her head to the voice, trying to tamp down the urge to smile at his words. "I'm fine." She whispered.

Edward eyed her suspiciously, probably internally frowning at her choice of words. They'd been in his apartment for at least six hours and whenever Edward would ask her if she wanted or needed anything, she always responded "I'm fine". As if saying the words over and over again would make her statement true.

"You look tired."

Bella tried to hide the hurt from her expression. She's been out of the hospital for only a few hours, was she really expected to look like Miss America instantly?

"I'm sorry?" her response sounded more like a question than an answer.

"No! Not that I mean anything by it- I just saw, and you've been sitting for a while, but you don't have any clothes- and I just thought..." Edward dry washed his face before he spoke again, obviously trying to find the right words. "I want you to feel better as soon as possible... But you probably won't be comfortable..."

Edward threw up his hands in frustration, slowly rising from his recliner to start pacing. Bella watched and waited as patiently as she could for him to actually completely finish his thought. She knew what it was like to not want to offend someone with words, but want to get your point across.

"It kills me to see you in pain." he finally blurted out without an obvious conscious thought.

Bella practically fell out of her seat at his words. What the hell was that supposed to mean? How was she expected to translate what he said?

"Fuck... Look Bella, you should rest. I'll go pick up my rust bucket, and tomorrow we'll get some of your things. And fuck whatever thought you had of going back 'home'." He scowled as his fingers acted out the air quotes. "You're gonna stay here with me and Cat until all this fucking dust has settled. I won't let you be alone until that piece of shit you're legally bound to is locked up."

Bella sat stunned in silence. Her heart on the other hand was probably making up for her being quiet. Her pulse felt like it was going a mile a minute. It was so obvious to her, and for once she didn't care if she was reading things incorrectly. All signs pointed to Edward caring.

About her.

The tears that slowly started to fall from her eyes burned her dry lips and cause Edward to appear inches from her almost instantly.

"Bella you've barely said anything. Please talk to me." he pleaded, carefully taking her hands in his.

What was she doing? Opening her heart again? Stupid. The chances of it breaking because of his fingers were too great. She had to push him away and ignore what he said. It was only words.

"I'll take your advice." she said quietly. "I'll lie down for a while."

Edward nodded slowly, his body visibly relaxing. "My apartment isn't exactly meant for company. You can sleep in my bed, I'll take the recliner."

Guilt instantly engulfed her. "It's bad enough I'm turning your life upside down Edward." How could she make more even? Bella sighed. "We're both adults. I don't see why we can't share your bed."

Bella tried her best to give him a look that would prevent a rebuttal, and thankfully he just nodded and lead her into the one part of his apartment she had yet to see.

Unsurprisingly enough his bedroom consisted of a curtain less window, clothes and change littered everywhere and a mattress with two pillows and a worn quilt at the foot.

Bella wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, especially taking into consideration the rest of his apartment, but his room was a manly and bare room.

"You can wear this to sleep in."

Bella took the t-shirt and gym shorts from his extended hand and awkwardly shuffled out of his room and into the little single bath a few steps away.

Behind the closed door Bella brought the borrowed clothes to her nose, inhaling the specific scent that was Edward. It was a mix of aftershave, Marlboro Reds and the essence of pure masculinity that no one would ever be able to copy.

Bella changed as quickly as the throbbing pain in her chest allowed. But she knew it wasn't from her broken ribs. No it was from the idea of shutting Edward out again. Fuck her safety and sanity. She'd trade everything to have her Edward back.

"I'm not sure which side you prefer." Edward said as she reentered his room. She shrugged and plopped down on the side furthest from the door, shifting from side to side until she was comfortable.

When she finally did get comfortable, Edward handed her the quilt and then joined her on the mattress. He curled up closest to the edge of the bed, with the huge muscular expanse of his back to her.

The why of his actions were unknown to Bella. But the distance he was obviously, albeit silently, demanding doubled the pain in Bella's chest. She was just a charity case to him. He could right his past wrongs and then let her go.

Bella tried to muffle her cries at the idea of his letting her go. It pained her to think of it and her emotions quickly took advantage of her vulnerable state. She was much more than damaged goods.

She was unfixable.

**So yeah, now she's randomly sad at the end, I get it I see it. I really just wanted to get this out of the way. Sad and weak Bella is so difficult to write. **

**Next chapter will pick up from here in Edward's POV. **

**Reviews are better than sharing a bare mattress and worn quilt.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**So, uh. Yeah. This one's a good one, I think...**

**And this song, mega oldie, but mega effing goodie!**

_I'll be your dream_

_I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy_

_I'll be your hope I'll be your love_

_Be everything that you need_

"Truly Madly Deeply"-Savage Garden

Edward knew the exact moment Bella started crying.

She shifted slightly beside him, her arms coming out from under her head.

She inched further away from him.

And her shoulders started to shake.

He wasn't sure what to do. Every instinct he had was to roll over, pull her against his chest and never let her go. But the other part of him was afraid he was somehow the reason.

Did he remind her of that scumbag? Did he do something wrong?

Since Edward brought her home, hell since he first bumped into her weeks ago, he seemed to be fucking shit up at every turn.

"Bella?" He whispered into the darkness, wishing she'd turn around to face him. "Why are you crying?"

Instead of answering his question she seemed to cry even harder. He carefully reached out to touch her shoulder and the way she curled away from him mead his heart practically break in his chest.

Apparently he did do something wrong.

"Tell me what's wrong." He pleaded, reaching out to touch her again.

"Please just stop." Bella whispered into the darkness.

Stop what? What the hell was Edward doing?

"Bella please for fucking once tell me what I did wrong. All this ignoring the fucking question and then shutting down on me is fucking killing me. I deserve answers. I don't care what they are, but I deserve something from you."

Bella sat up and turned to face him, drawing her knees to her chest. Her eyes were red and her hair was matted to one side of her head. Her entire position just screamed upset and Edward had to physically stop himself from pulling her onto his lap.

"You don't have to pretend to want me around, Edward. I'm not stupid. You can go cash in your brownie points and toss me to the curb because I can't stand how you look at me all the time. Even before I left the hospital it was the same. Your eyes are always full of disappointment and I know it's because of me."

"_She's going to be confused and very emotional when she gets home," The hospital therapist said to Edward. "She is used to a certain type of structure and with that ripped out from underneath her will be very disconcerting. She needs reassurance." _

_The therapist pulled the wire frame glasses off her nose and carefully folded them up. The look she gave Edward was judgmental in its favorite form. "What?" He asked impatiently._

"_She needs a rock right now, Mr. Cullen. No major changes once she gets home, find a simple routine that makes her comfortable. She needs someone who can treat her gently. Do you understand what you're getting yourself into in taking her on as roommate of sorts?"_

_Edward dropped his arms and clenched his fists. "Do you fucking understand what I'd do for that woman asleep in that hospital bed? No I don't think you do by the fucking burning glare you've been flashing me since you saw me. _

"_That woman means more to me than you can even fathom. Fuck me, more than I can even fathom. She fell right into my lap once again and fuck the strings she's attached to, I will do everything in my power to make her 100% Bella again. Does that clear it up, _doc?_" He hissed. _

Edward closed his eyes at the memory. Half of what he said to the damn doctor escaped his lips without his mind realizing it, but damnit if it wasn't true. Everything he said he meant. He will be her rock as long as she'll let him.

"Bella I don't know what makes you think that." He shook his head and tried to hide the hurt from his eyes. "Bella you're so much more than what you think, _so much more_. I don't know what I can do to prove it to you. You could kill someone in cold blood and I wouldn't think anything less of you."

Slowly, Edward pushed himself off the bed, gripping the ends of his hair as he started pacing. It was a nervous habit he had, the pacing though, that was a new one.

"Let me be honest with you Bella. Let me say my piece..."

_Don't tell her you love her, don't tell her you love her, don't fucking tell her._

"It's like I can't win. Like you won't _let_ me win. There are times when you'll let me in then just like that" he snapped his fingers, "the door is closed again. I thought I'd be strong enough to deal with it, to be what you need, but I can't give you 99 and let you give 1 back. It's gotta be 50/50. Is that asking too much? That you let me in and let me help you? All I want to do is help you.

"I don't want to hurt you. That's the exact opposite that I want. I don't ever want you to hurt. You should smile all the fucking time and not have a worry on your shoulders. But life isn't like that. Sometimes, when you have a good thing someone rips it away from you."

Bella cringed at his words, obviously getting his reference to their break up.

"I'm not pouring my fucking heart out to make you feel guilty or do anything like that. I'm telling you all this shit to prove that I want to help you, but you have to let me."

By the end of his rant, Edward's chest was heaving, his breathing short and shallow. His heart was racing in his chest and, although he'd never really admit it, his eyes were burning at the idea of her pushing him away.

"You shouldn't waste your time." Bella whispered, her legs falling flat in front of her. "I'm not worth it."  
>Something in Edward broke, tore right the fuck open. That same something propelled him forward, back onto his bed, his arms supporting his torso as he crawled towards her. Her eyes were wide and full of fear but as her tongue peeked through and licked her lips, it was enough of a go to make Edward kneel next to her and take her face in his hands.<p>

She didn't say anything and neither did Edward and he hoped his eyes said it all, because all he could think about was making his lips busy with something else.

_Treat her gently._

Edward slowly ran the pad of his thumbs over her cheekbones, carefully tilting her head up slightly. He didn't close his eyes as his lips slowly descended towards hers, no instead he kept his gaze locked onto her deep brown eyes. At any second she could push him back and run away. She could run away and never look back.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He whispered, gently brushing his nose against hers.

Part of him knew it was a lie.

The other part of him hated himself for knowing it was a lie.

But the lying-son-of-a-bitch part of him just wanted to kiss Bella breathless. He hadn't been this close to her in years and everything about her was distracting him to the point of pain. Did he mention she was in his clothes?

Bella didn't say anything during his pause, instead reaching out and gripping his wrists. She didn't push his arms away like he expected. She closed her eyes and let her thumbs lightly move over his wrists.

If that wasn't a green fucking light, Edward didn't know what was.

His eyes followed suit, slowly drifting closed as he just barely touched his lips to hers. The instant, the fucking instant they made contact every fucking part of his body was ignited. He was burning and he loved it. He pulled her closer, moving his hands down to cup her throat, his fingers dancing over the silky skin of her neck.

Like a flip that was switched on, Bella gripped his arms tighter, moaning quietly into his mouth. His tongue took advantage, slowly finding its way between her lips. She tasted like heaven and damnit that just egged him on. He kissed her harder, and just as he felt her body start to relax he felt his lungs get tight.

Desperate for air he slowly pulled away, smiling at the dazed look in her eyes.

"You are so worth it Bella, so worth it."

***fans face* **

**FIRST KISS. BAM.**

**Right...?**

**Next chapter we're gonna skip ahead a little, day by day shit is giving me a headache. I need a broader time line. So, yeah, at least a day or two. Nothing major. **

**Reviews are better than being worth it. Well, a little better.**


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